


When the Devil met Luke...

by gumboy



Series: Pop's Barbershop Anthology [2]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Luke Cage (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2018-08-23 11:21:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8325829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gumboy/pseuds/gumboy
Summary: Luke Cage and Daredevil meet and bond over their dislike of a certain street thug.





	

Being a local hero is fine and dandy but it doesn't exactly pay the rent. Or for the lease on a barbershop that doesn't cut any hair. For Luke this means working at yet another bar. Definitely not where he was before. This one was a little seedier and outside of Harlem. 

Yes, Luke could have gotten free rent. Yes, he could have gotten a job anywhere in Harlem but all those jobs and all those free apartments had strings attached to them. And after the events of the last few weeks and the month or so in a jail cell, Luke wasn't up to taking anything that would compromise his integrity.

And when you're a bartender at Josie's bar in Hell's Kitchen, no one really gives a crap if you're a hometown hero from Harlem.

At the end of the day, Luke's main job is to keep the drinks poured/watered down and keep the violent stuff outside of the bar. Something Luke was definitely good at. It also helped that his lawyer knew the owner and gave her a good reference.

After about a month of the same work routine, Luke headed out of the back entrance one last time to throw out the day's garbage in the neighbor's dumpster and lock the door behind him when he noticed a struggle going on at the end of the alley. He couldn't see what was going on but one guy was definitely getting the shit beat out of him.

Luke considered his options for only a moment. And even though he was fresh out of jail and outside of Harlem, somethings he could not ignore. He dropped the bag of garbage and started heading towards the scuffle. "Hey!"

He had hoped a large black man shouting would scare off the attacker. It didn't. And as Luke got closer he could tell there was something odd about the man administrating the beating.

"Hey! Back off!"

The victim was on the ground and began pleading for help. Luke sighed. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this. "All right," he muttered under his breath. "You've been warned."

He threw a punch only to trip over himself as his target was no longer there. He had dodged just as the punch was thrown. He threw two more punches to the same effect, but at least this way Luke had put himself between the attacker and the poor guy lying on the ground.

"Listen. I don't want any trouble," Luke said maintaining a defensive posture. "Just leave the poor guy alone."

It wasn't until then that Luke realized the guy he was fighting wasn't your usual type of mugger. 

Most muggers didn't wear body armor. Or a mask.

The attacker held his hands up in the air to show he wasn't attacking. "I assure you, Mr. Cage. That man I was questioning had it coming."

Luke blinked. "You know me?"

The man in the mask gave him a grim smile. "There's very few people in my neighborhood I don't recognize."

The man shifted slightly and it was only then that Luke noticed the small horns coming off the top of the mask. Luke's arms relaxed a bit.

"You're the devil of Hell's kitchen."

The man shrugged in response. "That's the name they've given me."

"Any reason you're beating the daylights out this guy?" Luke said turning around to look at the man on the ground only to recognize him instantly. "Aw, shit. You again?"

"You know him?" Daredevil seemed amused by this.

"This piece of garbage tried to sell some specialized guns and bullets in Harlem right before I got sent to jail," Luke said grabbing the man known as Turk Barrett to his feet by the collar. "What's he done now?"

"There's a new drug being distributed around here," Daredevil said stepping. "One that Turk has been helping distribute."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Turk shouted. "C'mon man! You're not going to let him beat me up are you?"

"He's been reluctant to tell me who his source is," Daredevil continued with a disappointed tone in his voice. "Despite my... interrogation."

"You mean beating the crap out of me?!" Turk snapped back only to get thrown up against the wall by Luke.

"You know, I have a great way of getting information," Luke said matter-of-factually to his newfound friend.

"Oh really?" Daredevil replied cordially. "How's that work?"

A few minutes later, Turk had been not-so-gently thrown into a dumpster with the broken trash bag from Josie's thrown on top of him. Luke had then bent the lid of the dumpster down so that it was crimped against the edge. 

Nothing was getting out of there short of Luke undoing the damage or a civic employee using the jaws of life.

"I have to say that's an interesting technique," Daredevil said admiringly.

"I AIN'T TELLING YOU SHIT!"

"Give him a few moments," Luke said acknowledging Turk's comment. "He hasn't realized he's under a bunch of towels I used to clean up vomit from the bikers at the bar.

"GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"

Daredevil was having a uncharacteristically amusing time with this. "Any suggestions on what to do while we wait?"

Luke held up a set of keys to Josie's bar. "Does the Devil of Hell's Kitchen need a drink?"

"Only if the Hero of Harlem is serving it."

The two headed to the back entrance of Josie's as Turk's shouts got louder and more obscene.

Not that the two cared. At least not for another hour or so until Turk reliquished the information.

Turk was released and then arrested the next morning when the fire department arrived after multiple complaints were lodged at the local police department.


End file.
